The winners of the eighth edition of the Insurers for Society 2022 contest were awarded at an official ceremony. With a clear focus on society’s needs, the insurance community marked its professional holiday – Insurer’s Day.
The Insurers for Society contest is jointly organized by the Association of Bulgarian Insurers (ABZ), the Bulgarian Association of Insurance Brokers, the Association of Insurance Brokers in Bulgaria, and the United Insurance Brokers. The winners are selected through a vote by the insurance companies and insurance brokers that are members of the associations.
The insurance community awarded first place to the social campaign of Lev Ins Insurance Company – “Protect the Child Online.”
The campaign focuses on online harassment and abuse of children, emphasizing prevention through education and the development of responsible behavior in the digital environment. It is implemented nationwide and targets parents, teachers, and students. The faces of the campaign and ambassadors for safety and digital protection are the country’s leading cybersecurity expert Yavor Kolev and Olympic karate champion Ivet Goranova. An online platform was created to support the campaign, offering free educational video content for children and parents, along with live and virtual sessions. A key priority is holding on-site lectures for students across the country. Between March and June 2022 alone, nearly 100,000 students, parents, teaching staff, as well as public and municipal employees were trained.
The first prize in the Insurers for Society 2022 contest was presented by Konstantin Velev, Chair of ABZ, to Yavor Kolev, who commented: “This recognition motivates us to keep going until we reach every single Bulgarian child. Children are the most vulnerable group in the digital environment, and the dangers there are far too many. At Lev Ins, we have made it our mission to ensure the safety and protection of children online. We believe that prevention, through education and the cultivation of responsible behavior online, is the most important element in the fight against cybercrime.”
Second place in the contest was awarded to the initiative of Generali Insurance AD – The Human Safety Net: Giving a Head Start to Early Childhood Development Services in Bulgaria.
This is an initiative launched by the Generali Group as part of its sustainability strategy. The Human Safety Net was introduced in Bulgaria in 2020 and aims to support people in vulnerable situations. It is based on the idea of “chain help,” where those who are supported can one day help others, creating a chain of positive change.
In Bulgaria, Generali Insurance AD works on the initiative in partnership with the For Our Children Foundation, developing the program Giving a Head Start to Early Childhood Development Services in Bulgaria. It focuses on children up to the age of 7 and their families living in vulnerable conditions. In 2021, thanks to donations raised through events and individual contributions, 915 families were supported, 181 children gained access to development and rehabilitation activities – 104 more than in 2020 – and 118 families completed training programs for prospective adoptive parents. The initiative also helped expand the services provided by the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development Complexes in Sofia and Plovdiv, as well as the scope of its mobile social services in the Plovdiv region.
The second prize in the Insurers for Society 2022 contest was presented by Monika Minkova, Deputy Chair of the Association of Insurance Brokers in Bulgaria, to Zhaneta Dzhambazka and Radoslav Dimitrov, Executive Directors of Generali Bulgaria, who accepted the award with the words: “This award is an important recognition for us at Generali Insurance AD and for our initiative The Human Safety Net. It proves how important our role is as a company that supports society, especially those in need. Our achievements as an insurer for society are also reflected in the positive impact we created in 2021. Together with our partners at the For Our Children Foundation, we helped more than 900 families in need receive support and enabled more than 180 children under the age of 6 to access rehabilitation and essential early development services.”
Third place was awarded to the project of Allianz Bulgaria – “Listen Up” in support of the deaf community.
The project was implemented in partnership with the Listen Up Foundation and is one of the largest social initiatives supporting people with hearing loss in Bulgaria, where around 100,000 deaf individuals live. For Allianz Bulgaria, ensuring accessibility for all is a key priority. The company’s informational materials have been translated into sign language, and every customer with hearing difficulties can receive consultation on financial services through real-time sign language interpretation. A digital platform accessible via the Allianz Bulgaria website allows users to connect with a sign language interpreter with the click of a button.
The third prize in the Insurers for Society 2022 contest was presented to Veselin Angelov, Executive Director of Allianz Bulgaria, by Yuri Kopach, Deputy Chair of ABZ. Mr. Angelov accepted the award with the words: “It is a great honor for me to accept this award. Allianz Bulgaria’s corporate social responsibility policy focuses on causes that support vulnerable groups in our society. With the ‘Listen Up’ initiative, our aim is to welcome the deaf community and communicate freely with them by providing access to information materials and, most importantly, real-time sign language interpretation. Our broader goal is to draw society’s attention to the challenges faced by the deaf community and to attract allies to join our cause. Together, we can achieve much more when we are united by a shared mission. This ‘Insurers for Society’ recognition shows that we are on the right path. I can confidently say that the ‘Listen Up’ initiative has transformed us, as well as the lives and mindsets of many others, helping build a better future for everyone.”
